Orange County explores solutions for better warehouse oversight, after Sloth World, Magic in the Sky incidents

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange County commissioners and department heads have admitted they don’t know what’s inside Orange County warehouses. That has allowed for things like a deadly explosion at a warehouse that illegally stored fireworks, and the deaths of dozens of sloths stored in warehouses intended for vehicle storage.

Now, the county is trying to make changes to prevent tragedies from occurring in the future.

The backstory:

Knowing what’s inside warehouses within Orange County comes down mainly to two departments: the Fire Marshal, and Code Enforcement.

Both had presentations in budget meetings this week, and both brought up challenges their departments face.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP

For instance, in 2024, the county had around 180 people enforcing the building code, conducting inspections, and issuing permits. That year, they did 270,000 inspections. There were another 69,000 requested that they didn’t get to.

Both Code Enforcement and the Fire Marshal noted violations at warehouses for Sloth World and Magic in the Sky, but not in time to intervene.

"Had there been more oversight, we would have been able to prevent a potential tragedy," said Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson.

Fire Marshal

The Fire Marshal is supposed to conduct inspections on warehouses deemed low-risk every three years. But a FOX 35 investigation discovered the county has no record of Sloth World’s 22nd Street warehouse ever being checked, and the I-Drive facility wasn’t checked on schedule. Magic in the Sky’s warehouse also didn’t get its 3-year-check as scheduled.

Orange County Fire Rescue Division Chief William Farhat told FOX 35 in a statement today he’s nearly tripled staffing for the Existing Occupancy Inspection Program.

That was done to comply with a state mandate expanding inspection requirements under the Florida Fire Prevention Code.

This meant a gradual ramp-up in staffing over the past 3 years that required some funding shifts.

Code Enforcement

Code Enforcement only conducts inspections when they get a complaint, or when their officers notice a potential violation visible from a public area. They also do checks related to permit applications, but Sloth World never applied for a permit to store animals, and Magic in the Sky never asked for a permit to store fireworks.

"No one knew what was going on inside that building," said Brandy Driggers, the Orange County Neighborhood Services Division Manager.

SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35'S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS

Tanya Wilson, the Director of the Planning, Environmental, and Development Services Department, says they’re doing the best with what they have.

"Can we do more? Yes," she said. ""I think the best response in terms of improvements and efficiency is going to be seen on the technology side."

What's next:

There is at least one solution already in the works: the Nuisance Abatement Resource Coalition (NARC for short). 

That’s a partnership between law enforcement, code enforcement, the fire department, building department, building safety, and the State health department.

Orange County District 6 Commissioner Mike Scott says NARC used to meet quarterly. After Sloth World, they ramped that up to a monthly meeting.

"What happens, is someone will go and do an inspection and say, ‘Hey, it's not my department.’ But if we're meeting collectively monthly, that usually alleviates the problem because then we work in concert with one another," said Commissioner Scott. "I think the biggest thing is communication."

Other regulations

Commissioner Nicole Wilson is planning a presentation for the August 4 Board of County Commissioners meeting to discuss other regulations of wild animals, hoping to prevent another Sloth World.

Orange County NewsOrlando NewsCrime and Public Safety